Quite a bit has happened in the market place since my earlier 2012 blogs on tablets. I've been asked about what I like these days and provide an answer below.
Windows 8 provides an opportunity to have a common user interface across one's laptop, tablet, and phone. That comes at the expense of learning a new user interface on the laptop (though there is a legacy interface available, but that defeats the point of a common interface). It would also be nice if the data sharing was close to seamless between devices. I've started using Dropbox for that purpose between WIndows 7 laptop, iPad, and Android phone. For me it's too early to tell it Windows 8 is worth migrating to from Apple or Android.
The 4th generation iPad is 4 times faster then the gen 1 device my wife has and is twice as fast as gen 2 and gen 3. The retina display is nice and the number of customized tablet applications is greater than for Android.. I don't like the iPad's continued lack of Flash support. The iPad mini failed to impress me relative to Android offerings.
I'm not a big fan of 7" screens since my eyes and fat fingers prefer a 9-10" screen and because I've got a smart phone with a fairly big screen. I've been liking my Samsung Galaxy S III phone with its 4.8" display relative to the 3.5" display on my previous phone for viewing and typing. I've also liked my Otter Box Defender case for the phone. A 7" screen does not add much screen size and no resolution relative to that device.
In the 9" screen and larger category, I've got three Android favorites.
For value ($299) and media support, I like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9". It has been announced, but is not shipping for a few more weeks. I would not buy one until at least the end of the year. This is so I can see user reviews in addition to the specs and advertising.
For speed and screen resolution, I like the newly announced Nexus 10. It is simply the latest and greatest.
For usefulness as a tool, I like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. The key feature is an S-pen and apps which support its capabilities.
I currently don't have a compelling reason to get one rather than the others. If I do get one sooner rather than later "just because", I would lean to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. This is due to the lower price with the idea that the money saved would be a start towards an upgrade sooner rather than later.
If one is looking to replace a laptop with a tablet, an external keyboard is essential for doing large amounts of text input. One should also confirm that the on-board data storage and cloud storage will be adequate for one's needs.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Washington 2012 (Day 4: 7/3/12): Port Townsend
We intentionally made our base in Port Angeles with an itinerary of day trips so we could flex with the weather. This day still had scattered showers in the forecast, so we decided to do our Port Townsend day trip which gave us the ability to duck into a shop or museum or restaurant if a significant amount of rain was falling.
Port Townsend is 50 miles east of Port Angeles and was a bustling seaport town in the late 19th century until an extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect it to Tacoma (and Fargo!). The town went into a period of decline until the 1970s when it started attracting hippies and then artists. Today it has its arts community and restored Victorian main street and residences. Ilene had found a historical fiction book, Empire Builders by Linda Chaikin, which was set around the railroad speculation and bust.
After getting additional information at the visitor center, we went to the Jefferson County Museum to learn more about the town's history. The main street area along the harbor had featured shops, saloons, and brothels. "Shanghaiing" was regularly and legally practiced.
Meanwhile, the business owners and other well to do residents lived up on a bluff overlooking the harbor. We toured one of those homes, across the street from the one shown in the picture. Many are now Bed and Breakfasts.
After a morning of travel and museum-ing, we were hungry and dropped into the El Sarape restaurant for a nice lunch. More explorations of shops on main street followed. The most interesting was probably Maestrale Imports which specializes in southeast Asia items for the home. Ilene picked up a recommendation for the Undertown Cafe where we got some nurishment at coffee time when the sky was giving up some raindrops.
Americano with biscotti...
We left town about 4:30 and stopped at Eaglemount Winery and to try some wine and hard cider. I purchased a bottle of semi-sweet hard cider and some goat cheese for my pre-bed snacks the rest of the week. Back in Port Angeles, we stopped at the grocery store and McDonalds to piece together a supper eaten in our hotel room. We went to bed early since we had an early morning start coming up.
Port Townsend is 50 miles east of Port Angeles and was a bustling seaport town in the late 19th century until an extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect it to Tacoma (and Fargo!). The town went into a period of decline until the 1970s when it started attracting hippies and then artists. Today it has its arts community and restored Victorian main street and residences. Ilene had found a historical fiction book, Empire Builders by Linda Chaikin, which was set around the railroad speculation and bust.
After getting additional information at the visitor center, we went to the Jefferson County Museum to learn more about the town's history. The main street area along the harbor had featured shops, saloons, and brothels. "Shanghaiing" was regularly and legally practiced.
Meanwhile, the business owners and other well to do residents lived up on a bluff overlooking the harbor. We toured one of those homes, across the street from the one shown in the picture. Many are now Bed and Breakfasts.
After a morning of travel and museum-ing, we were hungry and dropped into the El Sarape restaurant for a nice lunch. More explorations of shops on main street followed. The most interesting was probably Maestrale Imports which specializes in southeast Asia items for the home. Ilene picked up a recommendation for the Undertown Cafe where we got some nurishment at coffee time when the sky was giving up some raindrops.
Americano with biscotti...
Mocha with cherry cream cheese scone... (if you count carefully, you can identify 4 layers of clothing)
We left town about 4:30 and stopped at Eaglemount Winery and to try some wine and hard cider. I purchased a bottle of semi-sweet hard cider and some goat cheese for my pre-bed snacks the rest of the week. Back in Port Angeles, we stopped at the grocery store and McDonalds to piece together a supper eaten in our hotel room. We went to bed early since we had an early morning start coming up.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Washington 2012 (Day 3: 7/2/12): Sunrise and Patriarchs
Shortly after we had gone to bed, the skies cleared and Mt Ranier was bathed in light from the near full moon, accompanied by a starry host. That was the report of a staffer who had worked the night shift and something missed by those of us who went to bed early. The clear skies were still there in the morning and we were able to take in the mountain in its majesty.
After breakfast and loading the car, we headed east with Reflection Lake as our first stop. This is another popular photo op since in the morning, the mountain reflects perfectly in the still blue lake waters. This is hinted at with the little bit of open water present on July 2nd. We were alone at the pull out and in spite of not seeing the full reflection, enjoyed the sights and sounds of the place for a number of minutes.
Beyond the lake, the road took us along Stevens Canyon. The high steep sides with waterfalls gushing down the sides reminded me of the fjords of Norway. This gem is not given enough press in what to see in the park. At the end of the canyon, we reach our morning hike: the Grove of the Patriarchs where numerous trees had avoided volcanic activity and loggers for hundreds of years. While not as spectacular as redwoods National Park, this grove was worth seeing.
Back in the car, we headed north and then west back towards the mountain to a place called Sunrise which, at 6600 feet, is the highest one can get in the park by car. The road had just opened for the season a few days earlier and of course there was snow at the visitor's center and over the hiking trails.
We could still see the mountain.
After leaving sunrise, we began our trek to the Olympic peninsula. The route took us west along the north side of Mt Ranier and then skirting the southern ends of the city of Tacoma and by the state capital at Olympia. We then picked up the iconic US 101 and headed north along a fork of Puget sound called Hood Canal. Even though it has "canal" in its name, the feature is natural. It is the eastern border of the Olympic Peninsula
US 101 then turned west and soon we reached our based for the rest of the week: The Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles, WA. While not mentioned in Frommers, the motel was highly rated in Travelocity reviews. We had supper at a restaurant called The Bushwacker. We inquired about some of the Washington wines on the menu and the bar tender was gracious in providing an impromptu tasting session. I settled on a Shiraz to have with my prime rib stroganoff. We stopped by a Safeway to stock up the room fridge for breakfast and to get some hiking snacks.
After breakfast and loading the car, we headed east with Reflection Lake as our first stop. This is another popular photo op since in the morning, the mountain reflects perfectly in the still blue lake waters. This is hinted at with the little bit of open water present on July 2nd. We were alone at the pull out and in spite of not seeing the full reflection, enjoyed the sights and sounds of the place for a number of minutes.
Back in the car, we headed north and then west back towards the mountain to a place called Sunrise which, at 6600 feet, is the highest one can get in the park by car. The road had just opened for the season a few days earlier and of course there was snow at the visitor's center and over the hiking trails.
We could still see the mountain.
While the trails were snow covered, there was a service road by the visitor's center which had been cleared.
In the few foot or two along the roadside which had melted, there were a variety of wild flowers blooming and making their reproductive run.
After leaving sunrise, we began our trek to the Olympic peninsula. The route took us west along the north side of Mt Ranier and then skirting the southern ends of the city of Tacoma and by the state capital at Olympia. We then picked up the iconic US 101 and headed north along a fork of Puget sound called Hood Canal. Even though it has "canal" in its name, the feature is natural. It is the eastern border of the Olympic Peninsula
US 101 then turned west and soon we reached our based for the rest of the week: The Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles, WA. While not mentioned in Frommers, the motel was highly rated in Travelocity reviews. We had supper at a restaurant called The Bushwacker. We inquired about some of the Washington wines on the menu and the bar tender was gracious in providing an impromptu tasting session. I settled on a Shiraz to have with my prime rib stroganoff. We stopped by a Safeway to stock up the room fridge for breakfast and to get some hiking snacks.
Washington 2012 (Day 2: 7/1/12): When Clouds Hide the Mountain, Seek Waterfalls
Our bodies were still on Central Daylight Time, so it was easy to get up early and hit the road for the three hour drive to Mt Ranier. It was a grey day with low clouds and a few spits of rain. I had some urgency to get to our destination in the national park called "Paradise" as it was very popular due to its great view of the mountain and the trailheads that would lead through meadows with blooming wildflowers just like on the cover of the Frommer's Washington guide. Parking would be scarce.
We arrived and instead of seeing this
we saw this
The snow at 5400 feet on July 1st was the real surprise. I suspect I got duped by having Colorado and Montana in mind for expectations where I would expect snow above 10,000 feet this time of year, but not at 5400 feet. The Rockies are quite a ways inland whereas Mt Ranier is close to the coast and Paradise receives ON AVERAGE over 53 feet of snow each year and has had up to 95 feet in a year. It takes a while to melt all that snow, especially when it keeps falling so late into the spring.
We got some lunch at the Paradise visitor's center while rethinking our day. The snow line was at about 5000 feet and we had passed a number of trails to waterfalls and geothermal features on the way up, so decided to take those in and hope for clearer skies the next day.
Longmire is the name of the original park development...a privately owned mineral and hot springs resort purchased to be a national park in 1899. This gas station and other early buildings now form a park museum. A short trail went by some of the springs and facilities of that early development.
Carter Falls...
Christine Falls...
Once back at Paradise, we checked into our room in the historic Paradise Inn and had supper in the dining room. We were heading to bed at our usual 11:00 PM CDT bedtime / 9:00 PM PDT.
We arrived and instead of seeing this
we saw this
And instead of meadows with blooming flowers, there was still some snow on the ground (yes, that's a 10 foot high snow drift).
The snow at 5400 feet on July 1st was the real surprise. I suspect I got duped by having Colorado and Montana in mind for expectations where I would expect snow above 10,000 feet this time of year, but not at 5400 feet. The Rockies are quite a ways inland whereas Mt Ranier is close to the coast and Paradise receives ON AVERAGE over 53 feet of snow each year and has had up to 95 feet in a year. It takes a while to melt all that snow, especially when it keeps falling so late into the spring.
We got some lunch at the Paradise visitor's center while rethinking our day. The snow line was at about 5000 feet and we had passed a number of trails to waterfalls and geothermal features on the way up, so decided to take those in and hope for clearer skies the next day.
Longmire is the name of the original park development...a privately owned mineral and hot springs resort purchased to be a national park in 1899. This gas station and other early buildings now form a park museum. A short trail went by some of the springs and facilities of that early development.
Narada Falls....
Christine Falls...
And this fellow took a moment to pose for us on the road.
Once back at Paradise, we checked into our room in the historic Paradise Inn and had supper in the dining room. We were heading to bed at our usual 11:00 PM CDT bedtime / 9:00 PM PDT.
Washington 2012 (Day 1: 6/30/12) : An early Start, A Dear Neighbor
Lights came on and people were stirring at 3:00 AM. Our oldest daughter had left a week before for training and then a month in China at English language camps. On this Saturday, it was our other daughter who needed to be at church by 4:00 AM to catch a bus for New Orleans for a church youth conference and then on to Texas for a week with a friend's family. This gave mom and dad two weeks without kids. We opted to travel to Washington state for one of the weeks.
After dropping Lily at church, we came home to grab our bags and then leave for the airport at 5:00 AM to catch a 6:20 Delta flight to Salt Lake City. It was pretty easy to sleep on that flight. We grabbed a second breakfast at McDonald's at the SLC airport before catching our flight on to Portland, OR. By 11:00 AM we had our rental car and had driven across the Columbia River into Vancouver, WA. There we spent the rest of the day with a dear neighbor who had moved to Vancouver to be closer to family. We enjoyed lunch and dinner and much conversation with Louise before driving a few miles to our LaQuinta Inn for the night.
The itinerary for the rest of the week was centered on two places we didn't get to in our 2010 trip to Oregon - Mt Ranier and the Olympic Peninsula. We figure we have at least two more western Washington trips to take. Our main planning resources were Frommer's Washington, the state tourism guide, and the web. I really like Frommers and have used their books to plan a number of our trips. We also got some input from people who had lived in the region and who are currently living there.
Reservations were made in April after several iterations on itinerary. Round trip airfare with checked bags was $20 plus about 80,000 frequent flyer miles. We had two free hotel nights at LaQuinta in the Portland area. One after our visit with Louise and the other the night before flying home.
After dropping Lily at church, we came home to grab our bags and then leave for the airport at 5:00 AM to catch a 6:20 Delta flight to Salt Lake City. It was pretty easy to sleep on that flight. We grabbed a second breakfast at McDonald's at the SLC airport before catching our flight on to Portland, OR. By 11:00 AM we had our rental car and had driven across the Columbia River into Vancouver, WA. There we spent the rest of the day with a dear neighbor who had moved to Vancouver to be closer to family. We enjoyed lunch and dinner and much conversation with Louise before driving a few miles to our LaQuinta Inn for the night.
The itinerary for the rest of the week was centered on two places we didn't get to in our 2010 trip to Oregon - Mt Ranier and the Olympic Peninsula. We figure we have at least two more western Washington trips to take. Our main planning resources were Frommer's Washington, the state tourism guide, and the web. I really like Frommers and have used their books to plan a number of our trips. We also got some input from people who had lived in the region and who are currently living there.
Reservations were made in April after several iterations on itinerary. Round trip airfare with checked bags was $20 plus about 80,000 frequent flyer miles. We had two free hotel nights at LaQuinta in the Portland area. One after our visit with Louise and the other the night before flying home.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
What's on Noel's Droid?
My new phone has shipped, so thought I would share my inventory of what is on my current Motorola Droid phone as I prepare for the transition.
Home Screen
Home Screen
- Verse-of-the-day Widget
- Weather Channel
- Clock
- Phone
- Contacts
- Browser
- Camera
Right + 1
- Google search bar
- Magnify - turns phone into magnifying glass
- Converter
- Documents-To-Go
- RealCalc
- Olive Tree Bible Reader
- USA Today
- Dictionary
Right + 2
- Wireless/GPS/Illumination control bar
- Cardio Trainer - distance, speed, and other stuff when I am not on a standard route
- Waze - a groupware vehicle navigation app similar to Google Maps
- Android Sensor Box - access to raw data from phone sensors
- Speed Test - measures speed of internet connection
- Wifi Analyzer - shows signals, channels, and strengths
- Wifi Buddy - shows networks and their attributes
- GPS logger
- My Tracks - record route using GPS
- Google Maps
- GPS Test - handy for getting at GPS info
Left + 1
- Pandora
- Rhapsody
- Music (mp3 player)
- Play Store
- Amazon app store
- Amazon.com
- Amazon Kindle
- Audible - audio book player
- Redbox
- Netflix
- Gallery
- Fandango
- Flixster
- Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
Left + 2
- TM world - world clock
- Car locator
- FlightStats Light
- Places Directory
- Urban Soon
Notable but not on a page
- Advanced Task Killer
- Astro file manager
- Droid Light
- Google Sky Map
- QuickDic - foreign language dictionaries
- Taxi Magic
- Google Translate
- YouTube
Friday, June 22, 2012
Keeping Unlimited Data, Getting a New Phone
A few weeks ago, Verizon Wireless announced a radically different pricing plan which goes into effect June 28th, 2012. In this post, I'll profile our family situation, walk through the analysis of staying with our current plan, and discuss my new phone selection.
We have been on an older Family Share 700 plan which runs just under $120/month for my smartphone, two basic phones, and unlimited data on the smartphone. This includes a discount through my employer of about $12/month. Thus the full charge for the plan is about $130/month. We have typically added our daughters to our plan with a basic phone for $9.99 a month. My youngest daughter just got her license this week. No one else in the family wants a smartphone just now, but I could see us needing more minutes or shared data if the girls want a smart phone when they go to college. My oldest daughter will start college in fall of 2013.
The new plan essentially would change the following for us:
We have been on an older Family Share 700 plan which runs just under $120/month for my smartphone, two basic phones, and unlimited data on the smartphone. This includes a discount through my employer of about $12/month. Thus the full charge for the plan is about $130/month. We have typically added our daughters to our plan with a basic phone for $9.99 a month. My youngest daughter just got her license this week. No one else in the family wants a smartphone just now, but I could see us needing more minutes or shared data if the girls want a smart phone when they go to college. My oldest daughter will start college in fall of 2013.
The new plan essentially would change the following for us:
- Talk time and text is unlimited (vs limited now, but we go over our minutes maybe once a year)
- Data costs are tiered (vs unlimited now)
- Data is sharable (vs unshareable now)
- Devices such as laptops and tablets can be tethered to the phone (vs not available now)
- To keep unlimited data in the future, customer pays full list price for the phone.
The lowest cost a basic phone can be added to a new plan is $30/month, so my younger daughter keeps her TracFone and won't be joining us on Verizon.
As noted in previous posts, I have been holding out for the rumored Samsung Galaxy Journal which is the Verizon version of the Galaxy Note on AT&T. Two things I like about the Note are the S Pen (stylus) and the 5.3 inch 1280 x 800 resolution display.
My current phone is an original Motorola Droid which has not been performing as well on newer apps with its slow (500 MHz) single core processor and limited (500 MB) of RAM. While it still gets through the day on a single charge, battery life will become an issue over the next year or so. It runs Android 2.3.
So against that backdrop, what if I just wait for the Galaxy Note which may or may not move from rumor to product?
If I pay full price list price for the phone and keep my unlimited data, I will pay about $500 more than the subsidized price and may need to change plans in a year anyways if a new collegiate opts for a smartphone. That $500 over 12 months is $41/month.
If I switch plans now with my 2 GB or less monthly data usage, our three phone plan costs us each month
$40 smartphone + (2 x $30 basic phone) + $60 data + $30? taxes & fees = $190/month.
So with the new pricing, our monthly bill would go up $30 to $60 per month. We don't need the unlimited talk minutes or text messages. The tethering would be nice, but isn't essential.
So what if a basic phone is upgraded to a smartphone? Under the current plan, the cost would go up by $30/month for the data and the minutes would still be shared. In the new plan, assuming an extra 2 GB were needed, the cost goes up $10/month for the smart phone and $10/month for the added 2 GB of data. Thus the more smart phones, tablets, and devices on the plan, the better the new plan looks.
Thus, sticking with my current plan is cheaper for our current use patterns and will be re-evaluated when someone wants a smartphone.
Given the age of my current phone, I wanted to upgrade while I could still retain unlimited data AND pay the subsidized price on the phone. I researched a number of phones including
- HTC Rezound
- Motorola Droid RAZR and Motorloa Droid RAZR MAXX
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus
- Samsung Galaxy S III
And the winner is....Samsung Galaxy S III 32 GB in Blue. Features that I liked included
- Quad core processor
- 2 GB of RAM
- 1280 x 720 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display
- 2100 mAhr battery (4G LTE takes more power than 3G. Earlier 4G phones have smaller batteries.)
- 8 MB camera
- Samsung
- Android 4.0
- C Pen which could give me much of what I'm looking for from the S Pen on the Note
I've started looking at accessories. The C pen I've mentioned. Cases are important. When I get this phone, the plan is to retire the failing Palm Tungsten E2 which is been in my front left pocket for many years and the Droid which has been on my right hip for over two years. The case(s) I select may depend on where I will carry my phone. I suspect that a larger phone on my hip may get bumped or caught on more things than my 3.5 inch phone, but it is a very clean and convenient place to carry a phone. The S III is about the size of my current Tungsten case. Right now I am leaning slightly towards a Commuter series case from OtterBox.
While I'm not planning to buy one at this time, there is a class of phone and tablet back-up batteries which send power to the device via the USB port. Getting one of these general purpose devices makes a lot more sense than buying a second device-specific battery.
My new phone is scheduled to ship July 11th. I worked with Andrew at the 19th Avenue North Verizon store and found him good to work with.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Technology Reflections During the Transit of Venus
Am watching coverage of the transit, the last of my lifetime, as observed at the Mount Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii and streamed to our iPad via nasa.gov.
At the last Venus transit in 2004, I had found a quote from William Harkness, the director of the US Naval Observatory in 1882:
"We are now on the eve of the second transit of a pair, after which there will be no other till the twenty-first century of our era has dawned upon the earth, and the June flowers are blooming in 2004. When the last transit season occurred the intellectual world was awakening from the slumber of ages, and that wondrous scientific activity which has led to our present advanced knowledge was just beginning. What will be the state of science when the next transit season arrives God only knows. Not even our children's children will live to take part in the astronomy of that day. As for ourselves, we have to do with the present ..." William Harkness, the Director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, 1882
Back in 2004, I had intentionally gone out to our garden and taken pictures of my daughters with the June blooms.
I had also reflected on the technology of the 1882. The telegraph was the main long distance communication means at the time. The telephone was 6 years old, Edison's light bulb less than 2 years. Motion picture cameras were just being developed. The electric car had been shown the year before but a car with a petroleum-powered engine was still 3 years off. Harkness would not live to see an airplane or listen to a voice on radio.
This evening I started watching the streaming coverage at work and then was going to watch it on my Android smartphone while walking home. 3G data speed wasn't good enough. When I got home, I grabbed the iPad and streamed the coverage to that device over our home wi-fi from the DSL broadband. One, two, three, four, five technology changes in our home technology since 2004.
What other technologies have changed? Analog broadcast TV went away. We've gotten some flat screen TVs as our old cathode ray tube units have failed. Star Trek is available 24/7 streaming from Netflix. Our computers have multi-core processors. Our cars have navigation systems built in or from our Garmin or from my smartphone.
The girls in the photo have grown into young women and I'm seriously middle aged. I won't speak for my wife ;-)
The next transit of Venus is in 2117. Unless people start living well past 100, it will be my elderly grandchildren and their offspring that may witness the event. I wish them God's grace and blessing. I would also wish them fine June blooms except that it will be December.
At the last Venus transit in 2004, I had found a quote from William Harkness, the director of the US Naval Observatory in 1882:
"We are now on the eve of the second transit of a pair, after which there will be no other till the twenty-first century of our era has dawned upon the earth, and the June flowers are blooming in 2004. When the last transit season occurred the intellectual world was awakening from the slumber of ages, and that wondrous scientific activity which has led to our present advanced knowledge was just beginning. What will be the state of science when the next transit season arrives God only knows. Not even our children's children will live to take part in the astronomy of that day. As for ourselves, we have to do with the present ..." William Harkness, the Director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, 1882
Back in 2004, I had intentionally gone out to our garden and taken pictures of my daughters with the June blooms.
I had also reflected on the technology of the 1882. The telegraph was the main long distance communication means at the time. The telephone was 6 years old, Edison's light bulb less than 2 years. Motion picture cameras were just being developed. The electric car had been shown the year before but a car with a petroleum-powered engine was still 3 years off. Harkness would not live to see an airplane or listen to a voice on radio.
This evening I started watching the streaming coverage at work and then was going to watch it on my Android smartphone while walking home. 3G data speed wasn't good enough. When I got home, I grabbed the iPad and streamed the coverage to that device over our home wi-fi from the DSL broadband. One, two, three, four, five technology changes in our home technology since 2004.
What other technologies have changed? Analog broadcast TV went away. We've gotten some flat screen TVs as our old cathode ray tube units have failed. Star Trek is available 24/7 streaming from Netflix. Our computers have multi-core processors. Our cars have navigation systems built in or from our Garmin or from my smartphone.
The girls in the photo have grown into young women and I'm seriously middle aged. I won't speak for my wife ;-)
The next transit of Venus is in 2117. Unless people start living well past 100, it will be my elderly grandchildren and their offspring that may witness the event. I wish them God's grace and blessing. I would also wish them fine June blooms except that it will be December.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Noel's 2012 Walking Statistics
PERSONAL BESTS
Best 13.1 miles: 4:16 (2/5/2012 during the Super Bowl)
Best 24 hr Distance: 27.0 miles (May 18-19, 2012 7PMish - 7PMish)
Best 28 hr Distance: 32.5 miles (May 18-19, 2012 5PM - 9PM)
Best Day Distance : 20.0 miles (5/19/12), 18.0 miles (4/14/12; 5/6/2012; 5/18/12)
Best Week Distance : 75.0 miles (Aug 12-18 @ Bob's Cabins)
Best Month Distance: 272 miles in May 2012, 188.0 miles in August 2012, 151.5 miles in March 2012
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
179.5 miles YTD (some travel in January)
MARCH
151.5 miles for the month (no travel)
331.0 miles YTD
4.0 hours snow shoveling YTD
1.3 hours exercise bike YTD
APRIL
128.0 miles for the month (1 week travel with some walking)
459.0 miles YTD
0.421 Best Eric Ratio (4/25/12)
Best Day Distance: 14.0 miles (4/14/12)
Audiobooks
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership by John Dickson
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in a Business by Patrick Lencioni
MAY
272 miles for the month (no travel)
728 miles YTD
0.510 Best Eric Ratio (05/26/2012)
Best Day Distance: 20.0 miles (5/19/12), 18.0 miles (5/6/2012; 5/18/12)
500 miles YTD on 5/05/12, 12 lbs lost YTD or 1 lb/41 miles
700 miles YTD on 5/27/12, 17 lbs lost YTD or 1 lb/41 miles
Audiobooks
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it is Important by Richard Rumelt
In the Plex: How Google Works, Thinks, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy
JUNE
137.0 miles for the month (1 week business)
866.0 miles YTD
0.521 Best Eric Ratio (6/26/12)
800 miles YTD on 6/17/12
Audiobooks
Reprise of earlier books + start books finished in July
JULY
102.0 miles for the month (1 week vacation + 1 week business)
968.5 miles YTD
0.509 Best Eric Ratio (7/13/12)
900 miles YTD on 7/11/12
Audiobooks
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz
One Thousand Gifts: A dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
AUGUST
188.0 miles for the month (1 week vacation + three days of business travel)
1156.5 miles YTD
0.536 Best Eric Ratio (8/31/12)
1000 miles YTD on 8/07/12
1100 miles YTD on 8/20/12
Audiobooks
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy by Joan Magretta
Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat
SEPTEMBER
170.5 miles for the month
1327.0 miles YTD
0.565 Best Eric Ratio (9/15/12)
1200 miles YTD on 9/8/12
1300 miles YTD on 9/26/12
Audiobooks
Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action
Demand: Creating what people love before they know they want it
Fooled by Randomness: The hidden role of chance in life and the markets by Tabriz
OCTOBER
187.0 miles for the month
1514.0 miles YTD
0.617 Best Eric Ratio (10/31/12)
1400 miles YTD on 10/13/12 1500 miles YTD on 10/30/12
Audiobooks
The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a new generation by Jay Elliot
King'sCross: The story of the world in the life of Jesus by Tim Keller
Organizaing Genius: The secrets of creative collaboration by Warren Bennis
NOVEMBER
180.5 miles for the month
1694.5 miles YTD
0.652 Best Eric Ratio (11/29/12)
1600 miles YTD on 11/15/12
Audiobooks
Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
Where Good Ideas Come From: The natural history of innovation by Steven Johnson
DECEMBER
135.5 miles for the month (1 week business + 1 week Christmas)
1830.0 miles YTD
0.671 Best Eric Ratio (12/22/12)
1700 miles YTD on 12/01/12 1800 miles YTD on 12/22/12
Audiobooks
Best 13.1 miles: 4:16 (2/5/2012 during the Super Bowl)
Best 24 hr Distance: 27.0 miles (May 18-19, 2012 7PMish - 7PMish)
Best 28 hr Distance: 32.5 miles (May 18-19, 2012 5PM - 9PM)
Best Day Distance : 20.0 miles (5/19/12), 18.0 miles (4/14/12; 5/6/2012; 5/18/12)
Best Week Distance : 75.0 miles (Aug 12-18 @ Bob's Cabins)
Best Month Distance: 272 miles in May 2012, 188.0 miles in August 2012, 151.5 miles in March 2012
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
179.5 miles YTD (some travel in January)
MARCH
151.5 miles for the month (no travel)
331.0 miles YTD
4.0 hours snow shoveling YTD
1.3 hours exercise bike YTD
APRIL
128.0 miles for the month (1 week travel with some walking)
459.0 miles YTD
0.421 Best Eric Ratio (4/25/12)
Best Day Distance: 14.0 miles (4/14/12)
Audiobooks
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership by John Dickson
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in a Business by Patrick Lencioni
MAY
272 miles for the month (no travel)
728 miles YTD
0.510 Best Eric Ratio (05/26/2012)
Best Day Distance: 20.0 miles (5/19/12), 18.0 miles (5/6/2012; 5/18/12)
500 miles YTD on 5/05/12, 12 lbs lost YTD or 1 lb/41 miles
700 miles YTD on 5/27/12, 17 lbs lost YTD or 1 lb/41 miles
Audiobooks
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it is Important by Richard Rumelt
In the Plex: How Google Works, Thinks, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy
JUNE
137.0 miles for the month (1 week business)
866.0 miles YTD
0.521 Best Eric Ratio (6/26/12)
800 miles YTD on 6/17/12
Audiobooks
Reprise of earlier books + start books finished in July
JULY
102.0 miles for the month (1 week vacation + 1 week business)
968.5 miles YTD
0.509 Best Eric Ratio (7/13/12)
900 miles YTD on 7/11/12
Audiobooks
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz
One Thousand Gifts: A dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
AUGUST
188.0 miles for the month (1 week vacation + three days of business travel)
1156.5 miles YTD
0.536 Best Eric Ratio (8/31/12)
1000 miles YTD on 8/07/12
1100 miles YTD on 8/20/12
Audiobooks
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy by Joan Magretta
Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat
SEPTEMBER
170.5 miles for the month
1327.0 miles YTD
0.565 Best Eric Ratio (9/15/12)
1200 miles YTD on 9/8/12
1300 miles YTD on 9/26/12
Audiobooks
Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action
Demand: Creating what people love before they know they want it
Fooled by Randomness: The hidden role of chance in life and the markets by Tabriz
OCTOBER
187.0 miles for the month
1514.0 miles YTD
0.617 Best Eric Ratio (10/31/12)
1400 miles YTD on 10/13/12 1500 miles YTD on 10/30/12
Audiobooks
The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a new generation by Jay Elliot
King'sCross: The story of the world in the life of Jesus by Tim Keller
Organizaing Genius: The secrets of creative collaboration by Warren Bennis
NOVEMBER
180.5 miles for the month
1694.5 miles YTD
0.652 Best Eric Ratio (11/29/12)
1600 miles YTD on 11/15/12
Audiobooks
Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
Where Good Ideas Come From: The natural history of innovation by Steven Johnson
DECEMBER
135.5 miles for the month (1 week business + 1 week Christmas)
1830.0 miles YTD
0.671 Best Eric Ratio (12/22/12)
1700 miles YTD on 12/01/12 1800 miles YTD on 12/22/12
Audiobooks
Monday, May 28, 2012
The $200 Man
In the 1970s TV Series The Six Million Dollar Man, astronaut Steve Austin crashed and his body was rebuilt with bionic parts to give him superhuman abilities including enhanced speed. Having just completed 200+ miles of walking in the month of May and 700+ miles YTD, my feet have started resembling some distant planet with volcanic blisters and calloused multi-hued plains. Maybe a bit of hyperbole, but my feet are the current bottleneck for my walking speed and distance. With the temps heating up, it would also be nice to stay a little cooler so my range isn't limited that way and at a minimum, maybe I'm a bit more comfortable than soggy cotton socks, denim and Dockers, and T-shirts currently allow.
So for ~$200 at Scheels, I'm hopefully rebuilt to be a bit faster with an extended range. The new parts include
* Asics GT-2170 running shoes
* Nike performance cotton socks
* Nike DRI-FIT T-shirt
* Columbia cargo pant
So for ~$200 at Scheels, I'm hopefully rebuilt to be a bit faster with an extended range. The new parts include
* Asics GT-2170 running shoes
* Nike performance cotton socks
* Nike DRI-FIT T-shirt
* Columbia cargo pant
Sunday, May 27, 2012
A History of Noel's Walking
I've always enjoyed walking. While growing up, there was utilitarian walking to school in grades 1-3 and 6-9. My favorite walks, though, were on my grandparents' farm and in Minnesota state parks. The farm had wooded pastures which straddled the Little Cedar River and Deer Creek. I could cross either of them with five-buckle overshoes on my feet on one of the trees which had fallen across the banks, making a natural bridge.
The state parks offered trails to explore and new vistas to take in. In the summer, we often went to a park after church on Sundays. Ones we visited most frequently were Nerstrand Woods (now Big Woods), William O'Brien, and Frontenac state parks. After an afternoon of hiking, there would be supper cooked over charcoal and then the drive home.
In college I lived on campus and didn't have a car until half way through my master's degree. I walked to class rain or shine, hot or cold. I did have a bike, but decided in cold weather I preferred walking to sitting on a cold bike seat, peddling into the wind. My biking was done in the summer and in particular, I recall a 7 mile route I did at 3:30 PM when I needed a break from studying/research.
Several college summers I lived in Creve Coeur, MO while interning at McDonnell-Douglas. There was a Kroger's about a mile from my apartment and I would walk there an evening or two during the week to get some items. I learned early on that ice cream was not a good item to buy on these trips since it got pretty soft in the sultry St Louis heat during the walk home. Consequently, I made a trip by car each week to stock up on heavy items like milk, ice cream, pop, etc.
When I moved to Fargo to join the faculty at North Dakota State University, I got an apartment a few blocks south of campus so I could continue my walking ways. This time, the grocery store was just a couple blocks away, making it easier to carry groceries home. About 15 months later I was married and 2 months after that, moving into our current home. Being within walking distance of NDSU was a key selection factor for our house.
The route to campus was along the north side of 13th Avenue North. This route has fences and bushes on the north side which block block the bone piercing winter winds. A pair of long underwear and a good coat were then able to keep me warm on all but the coldest days. A good pair of boots kept my feet warm and also kept me from falling on slick sidewalks and streets. While my current office is just 10-15 minutes north of my old NDSU office, the lack of a windbreak on that northward leg from the main campus is a major reason I haven't walked to work in the winter in recent years.
After leaving NDSU, my offices were a bit further away from home. In the summer, I would sometimes ride my bike, but a car was my main means of commuting. The buildings were typically in industrial sections of town with limited opportunities to walk somewhere for lunch.
Also since college, I've taken vacations with hiking as an activity. These walks are typically under 10 miles at state and national parks on well maintained trails. Some of these are shared in other blog posts.
In 2006, I was working with an engineering intern from France and invited him to join me for what became known as "Marchez et Mangez", French for "To Walk and To Eat". By the end of the summer, my employer was trying to recruit him to work at a John Deere facility in Germany. The name of the lunchtime walks was changed to "Gehen und Essen", German for "To Walk and To Eat". That name persists to the present and there are a group of about 8 people who get invited on one of the better weather days of the week (if there is one). A typical group will be 3-6 people due to invitees traveling and having conflicting meetings. Besides walking and eating, there is conversation on topics including economics, science, technology, sports, Fargo flood control, and more.
In late 2011, our family was mulling a larger, family Christmas present versus exchanging smaller gifts amongst ourselves. I had floated the idea of a large screen TV as our current largest screen is 26 inches. That idea was out-voted 3-1 in favor of a treadmill. It wasn't so much that I'm anti-exercise, but I already have an exercise bike and a driveway to shovel for fitness. There have been challenges with both of those over the last 20 years.
The idea with the exercise bike was (1) I enjoy biking and (2) I can get caught up with magazine reading during biking. I tried to ride in the morning since research and my practical experience to that time indicated that people who exercise in the mornings are more consistent and persistent in doing so. As I got more involved with getting my girls to school in the morning and had more early morning teleconferences, consistent morning exercise became harder.
Snow shoveling is the most rigorous exercise I get with heart rate getting up to 140 bpm. However, it is dependent on their being snow. In 2010-2011, we had twice the "average" amount of snow, so it was a good program to have. In 2011-2012, we had a fraction of the "average" amount of snow, so I only got in four hours of shoveling after January 1.
With the treadmill delivered on January 2nd, I gave it a try while watching TV in our family room. Adding a Roku device allowed me access to my streaming Netflix queue including favorite old TV shows like Star Trek : The Next generation and the original Twilight Zone series. I was also able to work on my Netflix movie queue and keep up with TED talks.
Another thing I noted was that I could walk until past 9:30 PM without impacting sleep. Since I'm a morning person, I'm typically fading after 8:00 PM. Thus I have been able to take a traditionally unproductive time and use it for exercise: 4-6 miles followed by a shower and the 10:00 PM news.
A third piece to my winter walking, particularly to push myself to get miles, was a metric called the "Eric Ratio". A friend from elementary/jr-sr high named Eric took up running about 12 years ago and has logged over 30,000 miles since then. We reconnected on Facebook and at the end of last year, he started posting his miles YTD. The Eric Ratio is simply my miles YTD divided by Eric's miles YTD. In early winter, I was around 0.250, but I have set a series of goals and am currently at about 0.500. Eric has been a good source of encouragement for my efforts.
When spring arrived, I committed to walk more by walking after supper and by walking to and from work. A key multiplier here is that I've been listening to audio books on my phone. In previous years, I only listened to them on road trips, but walking has been a great opportunity to make consistent progress. I typically listen to the Bible or other Christian books heading into the office and then business and leadership books at other times. If I'm on a non-standard route for which I don't have mileages, I have a cell phone app which logs the route with times and distances. It also randomly places my '70s and '80s music on the phone. When I'm replacing drive miles with walking miles, I get triple benefit since I'm transporting, exercising, and audiobooking at the same time.
In spring, I also experience an outdoor surprise in that my walking speed is about 10% higher outdoors (3.6 - 4.0 mph) than it is on the treadmill (3.4 - 3.6 mph). That boost seems to disappear when I'm wearing my 16 pound backpack for the walk to and from work. While I regularly get passed by runners, I occasionally get passed by a walker on the NDSU campus. I see my speed being able to go up to 4.2 - 4.5 mph with work and I hope being passed by another walker becomes very rare.
At the time of this writing (May 27, 2012), I've just passed 700 miles of walking year to date. My body has benefited through 16 pounds of weight loss and a 10 point reduction in blood pressure. I've watched some good documentaries on Netflix and am listening to some good audiobooks. I plan to keep walking to work well into the fall and then revert to evening treadmill sessions for the winter. My new approach to exercise seems very sustainable, although winter business travel will take its toll. Fortunately, my business travel continues to decline and I'm able to spend more time at home.
Will I ever run? I've never liked running and my daughters have said they can't remember ever seeing me run for a significant distance beyond crossing a street. I don't really have a motivation to run, but won't rule it out.
Will I ever compete? I have the range for a half and full marathon. My speed isn't very impressive and I prefer to "compete" on the Eric Ratio and personal bests. I don't like being with large groups of people, I don't like letting others determine when I'll be walking, and I don't need race swag. I won't rule it out, but I'm lacking motivation on that front.
Pasture at my Grandparents' Farm
The state parks offered trails to explore and new vistas to take in. In the summer, we often went to a park after church on Sundays. Ones we visited most frequently were Nerstrand Woods (now Big Woods), William O'Brien, and Frontenac state parks. After an afternoon of hiking, there would be supper cooked over charcoal and then the drive home.
Cooking Out at Nerstrand Woods State Park
In college I lived on campus and didn't have a car until half way through my master's degree. I walked to class rain or shine, hot or cold. I did have a bike, but decided in cold weather I preferred walking to sitting on a cold bike seat, peddling into the wind. My biking was done in the summer and in particular, I recall a 7 mile route I did at 3:30 PM when I needed a break from studying/research.
Several college summers I lived in Creve Coeur, MO while interning at McDonnell-Douglas. There was a Kroger's about a mile from my apartment and I would walk there an evening or two during the week to get some items. I learned early on that ice cream was not a good item to buy on these trips since it got pretty soft in the sultry St Louis heat during the walk home. Consequently, I made a trip by car each week to stock up on heavy items like milk, ice cream, pop, etc.
When I moved to Fargo to join the faculty at North Dakota State University, I got an apartment a few blocks south of campus so I could continue my walking ways. This time, the grocery store was just a couple blocks away, making it easier to carry groceries home. About 15 months later I was married and 2 months after that, moving into our current home. Being within walking distance of NDSU was a key selection factor for our house.
The route to campus was along the north side of 13th Avenue North. This route has fences and bushes on the north side which block block the bone piercing winter winds. A pair of long underwear and a good coat were then able to keep me warm on all but the coldest days. A good pair of boots kept my feet warm and also kept me from falling on slick sidewalks and streets. While my current office is just 10-15 minutes north of my old NDSU office, the lack of a windbreak on that northward leg from the main campus is a major reason I haven't walked to work in the winter in recent years.
After leaving NDSU, my offices were a bit further away from home. In the summer, I would sometimes ride my bike, but a car was my main means of commuting. The buildings were typically in industrial sections of town with limited opportunities to walk somewhere for lunch.
Also since college, I've taken vacations with hiking as an activity. These walks are typically under 10 miles at state and national parks on well maintained trails. Some of these are shared in other blog posts.
Hiking at Mount St Helens, July 2010
In 2001, my office moved to the Technology Park on the NDSU campus. There is a good selection of restaurants on 19th Avenue North and especially now, good sidewalks. A loop from my office, along 17th Avenue North to 10th Street, up to 19th Avenue North, and back to the office provides a 2 mile walk, lunch, and completion within an hour.In 2006, I was working with an engineering intern from France and invited him to join me for what became known as "Marchez et Mangez", French for "To Walk and To Eat". By the end of the summer, my employer was trying to recruit him to work at a John Deere facility in Germany. The name of the lunchtime walks was changed to "Gehen und Essen", German for "To Walk and To Eat". That name persists to the present and there are a group of about 8 people who get invited on one of the better weather days of the week (if there is one). A typical group will be 3-6 people due to invitees traveling and having conflicting meetings. Besides walking and eating, there is conversation on topics including economics, science, technology, sports, Fargo flood control, and more.
In late 2011, our family was mulling a larger, family Christmas present versus exchanging smaller gifts amongst ourselves. I had floated the idea of a large screen TV as our current largest screen is 26 inches. That idea was out-voted 3-1 in favor of a treadmill. It wasn't so much that I'm anti-exercise, but I already have an exercise bike and a driveway to shovel for fitness. There have been challenges with both of those over the last 20 years.
The idea with the exercise bike was (1) I enjoy biking and (2) I can get caught up with magazine reading during biking. I tried to ride in the morning since research and my practical experience to that time indicated that people who exercise in the mornings are more consistent and persistent in doing so. As I got more involved with getting my girls to school in the morning and had more early morning teleconferences, consistent morning exercise became harder.
Snow shoveling is the most rigorous exercise I get with heart rate getting up to 140 bpm. However, it is dependent on their being snow. In 2010-2011, we had twice the "average" amount of snow, so it was a good program to have. In 2011-2012, we had a fraction of the "average" amount of snow, so I only got in four hours of shoveling after January 1.
With the treadmill delivered on January 2nd, I gave it a try while watching TV in our family room. Adding a Roku device allowed me access to my streaming Netflix queue including favorite old TV shows like Star Trek : The Next generation and the original Twilight Zone series. I was also able to work on my Netflix movie queue and keep up with TED talks.
Another thing I noted was that I could walk until past 9:30 PM without impacting sleep. Since I'm a morning person, I'm typically fading after 8:00 PM. Thus I have been able to take a traditionally unproductive time and use it for exercise: 4-6 miles followed by a shower and the 10:00 PM news.
A third piece to my winter walking, particularly to push myself to get miles, was a metric called the "Eric Ratio". A friend from elementary/jr-sr high named Eric took up running about 12 years ago and has logged over 30,000 miles since then. We reconnected on Facebook and at the end of last year, he started posting his miles YTD. The Eric Ratio is simply my miles YTD divided by Eric's miles YTD. In early winter, I was around 0.250, but I have set a series of goals and am currently at about 0.500. Eric has been a good source of encouragement for my efforts.
When spring arrived, I committed to walk more by walking after supper and by walking to and from work. A key multiplier here is that I've been listening to audio books on my phone. In previous years, I only listened to them on road trips, but walking has been a great opportunity to make consistent progress. I typically listen to the Bible or other Christian books heading into the office and then business and leadership books at other times. If I'm on a non-standard route for which I don't have mileages, I have a cell phone app which logs the route with times and distances. It also randomly places my '70s and '80s music on the phone. When I'm replacing drive miles with walking miles, I get triple benefit since I'm transporting, exercising, and audiobooking at the same time.
In spring, I also experience an outdoor surprise in that my walking speed is about 10% higher outdoors (3.6 - 4.0 mph) than it is on the treadmill (3.4 - 3.6 mph). That boost seems to disappear when I'm wearing my 16 pound backpack for the walk to and from work. While I regularly get passed by runners, I occasionally get passed by a walker on the NDSU campus. I see my speed being able to go up to 4.2 - 4.5 mph with work and I hope being passed by another walker becomes very rare.
At the time of this writing (May 27, 2012), I've just passed 700 miles of walking year to date. My body has benefited through 16 pounds of weight loss and a 10 point reduction in blood pressure. I've watched some good documentaries on Netflix and am listening to some good audiobooks. I plan to keep walking to work well into the fall and then revert to evening treadmill sessions for the winter. My new approach to exercise seems very sustainable, although winter business travel will take its toll. Fortunately, my business travel continues to decline and I'm able to spend more time at home.
Will I ever run? I've never liked running and my daughters have said they can't remember ever seeing me run for a significant distance beyond crossing a street. I don't really have a motivation to run, but won't rule it out.
Will I ever compete? I have the range for a half and full marathon. My speed isn't very impressive and I prefer to "compete" on the Eric Ratio and personal bests. I don't like being with large groups of people, I don't like letting others determine when I'll be walking, and I don't need race swag. I won't rule it out, but I'm lacking motivation on that front.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Still Waiting for the Right Tablet
I'm still waiting for the right tablet computer for myself. As noted in previous posts, I use a laptop with breakfast tray in bed, have access to my wife's iPad 1, and last August got a "keyboard" Kindle for use on bright summer days. The tablet is a want more than a need and one I am willing to wait for.
While the new iPad 3 has the 3 megapixel Retina Display and quad core graphics processor, that is not enough to counter the difficulty in moving files on and off the device as well as absence of Flash support.
Windows 8 is currently planned for October release and has the potential to integrate across laptop, tablet, and phone. Given the small market share Windows tablets and laptops currently command, it's not clear that the integration benefit will offset the reduced number of apps due to the small market share.
Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) is still my platform of choice, if I had to chose today, and would be resident on Samsung hardware: Smart TV, tablet, and phone.
The phone would be the Samsung Journal (Verizon), due out this summer, which is a rebranded Galaxy Note (AT&T). I light the bright 1200 x 800 5.3" Super AMOLED display, dual core processor, and the S-pen (evolved stylus). I like pens going back to my Palm Pilot PDAs.
The tablet would be the announced, but not released, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 IF/WHEN it has a Tegra 3 quad core processor and a 1920 x 1080 display in place of the current dual core processor and 1200 x 800 display. The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity Series has those two features, but not the S-pen and integration with the Smart TV.
The Samsung Smart TVs have the ability to stream content to mobile devices such as the tablet and phone. Thus one can be watching a program on the big screen and move to another part of the house and continue watching the same content.
For anyone wanting to see this in person, Best Buy has the Samsung Note phone, Galaxy Tablet (but not the enhanced Note, just the current tablet.), and Smart TV on display. They also have the New iPad, so one can check out the high res display.
In terms of timing, I might be ready for a phone upgrade late summer after my risk of falling into a creek is past. I would prefer to drown or otherwise break my old phone rather than a new one. The tablet is pending Samsung's release of what I spec'ed. The TV depends on when the family chooses to upgrade TVs or our 1992 set bites the dust.
While the new iPad 3 has the 3 megapixel Retina Display and quad core graphics processor, that is not enough to counter the difficulty in moving files on and off the device as well as absence of Flash support.
Windows 8 is currently planned for October release and has the potential to integrate across laptop, tablet, and phone. Given the small market share Windows tablets and laptops currently command, it's not clear that the integration benefit will offset the reduced number of apps due to the small market share.
Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) is still my platform of choice, if I had to chose today, and would be resident on Samsung hardware: Smart TV, tablet, and phone.
The phone would be the Samsung Journal (Verizon), due out this summer, which is a rebranded Galaxy Note (AT&T). I light the bright 1200 x 800 5.3" Super AMOLED display, dual core processor, and the S-pen (evolved stylus). I like pens going back to my Palm Pilot PDAs.
The tablet would be the announced, but not released, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 IF/WHEN it has a Tegra 3 quad core processor and a 1920 x 1080 display in place of the current dual core processor and 1200 x 800 display. The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity Series has those two features, but not the S-pen and integration with the Smart TV.
The Samsung Smart TVs have the ability to stream content to mobile devices such as the tablet and phone. Thus one can be watching a program on the big screen and move to another part of the house and continue watching the same content.
For anyone wanting to see this in person, Best Buy has the Samsung Note phone, Galaxy Tablet (but not the enhanced Note, just the current tablet.), and Smart TV on display. They also have the New iPad, so one can check out the high res display.
In terms of timing, I might be ready for a phone upgrade late summer after my risk of falling into a creek is past. I would prefer to drown or otherwise break my old phone rather than a new one. The tablet is pending Samsung's release of what I spec'ed. The TV depends on when the family chooses to upgrade TVs or our 1992 set bites the dust.
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Amazing Winter and Non- Flood of 2012
No picture of this spring's snow melt flood because the crest didn't get above flood stage. Elm Street is remaining open. The crest was half a foot below flood stage and about 20+ feet below the crests of the last three years.
While we won't have a record flood, it has been an amazing winter. It was the warmest winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) since records were begun in 1881. At 22.1 F, it was 9.5 degrees above the 30 years average. Some other statistics:
While we won't have a record flood, it has been an amazing winter. It was the warmest winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) since records were begun in 1881. At 22.1 F, it was 9.5 degrees above the 30 years average. Some other statistics:
- 16 days with a low temperature below 0F (48 days average. Records: 14 days (1986-87) and 15 days (1930-31))
- Highest lowest maximum daily temperature for the season (+4 F) and only nineth winter since 1881 without a subzero highest lowest maximum (some years the lowest maximum is below -20 F).
- Earliest 50+ F day set on Jan 5 when it was 55 F. We enjoyed reading outside on our three 50+ F days. Average first day above 50 F is March 18.
- Earliest 70+ F day set March 16th when it was 76 F. Average is April 18. March 16-19 was a four day stretch with record high temps in the 70s.
NOAA data was provided through the Fargo Forum.
Monday, January 2, 2012
All Quiet on the Eastern Front
In 2011, the Red River went above flood stage in late March and then stayed above flood stage for 150 of the next 152 days. That was after the 3rd snowiest winter on record with 130 consecutive days of snow cover.
In August it turned dry and we've had one of the warmest and driest falls and then December on record. The river is currently 3.5 feet below flood stage, the water table at our house is low, evidenced by the old sump pit being dry and the lack of sump pump activity. We've had 2 inches of snow all winter which is well below average. A lot can happen between now and spring, but at least so far, the likelihood of a 4th major spring flood in a row is much reduced. I'm still planning to renew my flood insurance when it comes due in a few months.
The Red River flood diversion plan, initiated after the 2009 flood, got signed off by the top people in the Army Corps of Engineers in December. It now goes to congress for funding. While the proposal has a net benefit relative to expense, it may be hard to get funding given efforts to reduce the deficits. In the mean time, mitigation activity such as buyouts and dikes continue. These are needed even with the diversion to protect against the 500 year flood event.
In August it turned dry and we've had one of the warmest and driest falls and then December on record. The river is currently 3.5 feet below flood stage, the water table at our house is low, evidenced by the old sump pit being dry and the lack of sump pump activity. We've had 2 inches of snow all winter which is well below average. A lot can happen between now and spring, but at least so far, the likelihood of a 4th major spring flood in a row is much reduced. I'm still planning to renew my flood insurance when it comes due in a few months.
The Red River flood diversion plan, initiated after the 2009 flood, got signed off by the top people in the Army Corps of Engineers in December. It now goes to congress for funding. While the proposal has a net benefit relative to expense, it may be hard to get funding given efforts to reduce the deficits. In the mean time, mitigation activity such as buyouts and dikes continue. These are needed even with the diversion to protect against the 500 year flood event.
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